PPRM wrote:Anyone tried a Merritt? I will be buying an Aluminum as I put a lot of freeway miles on it. I have a really really old Circle J for off pavement. But, it really is too much for Freeway Hauling IMO.

Lebanon Livestock Auction is pretty happy with their Merritt the first few months they had it. I've hear they are comparable to a Wilson.

My understanding is Exiss (I have a friend who hauled one for close to 10 years and sold it for the original purchase price) would be the next step down from Wilson and Merritt.

I've had a Merritt for 9 years. It's hauled a lot of cows on a lot of rough washboard roads. The only thing I've replaced are hub caps. It's been a dandy. Will get another when and if this one wears out.

Off road washboard is a pretty impressive test for an Aluminum In my opinion. I figure I need a 25 year trailer. I kind of look at everything that way now. Spend the extra money on good stuff and in 25 years I'll be done and it won't matter.

PPRM wrote:Anyone tried a Merritt? I will be buying an Aluminum as I put a lot of freeway miles on it. I have a really really old Circle J for off pavement. But, it really is too much for Freeway Hauling IMO.

Lebanon Livestock Auction is pretty happy with their Merritt the first few months they had it. I've hear they are comparable to a Wilson.

My understanding is Exiss (I have a friend who hauled one for close to 10 years and sold it for the original purchase price) would be the next step down from Wilson and Merritt.

I've had a Merritt for 9 years. It's hauled a lot of cows on a lot of rough washboard roads. The only thing I've replaced are hub caps. It's been a dandy. Will get another when and if this one wears out.

Off road washboard is a pretty impressive test for an Aluminum In my opinion. I figure I need a 25 year trailer. I kind of look at everything that way now. Spend the extra money on good stuff and in 25 years I'll be done and it won't matter.

VB RANCH wrote:Wilson make's a hell of a pot, their goosenecks SUCK plain and simple

That's amazing. I use one all of the time and didn't even realize it.

I think it is the newer ones, how new I am not sure. We heard the same thing when we bought our last trailer, so we bought a Featherlite. They had a problem year or two, but they are back to the original ones now. The first Featherlite we were ever around, back in the early 80's, the guy that had it could tear up a crowbar and that trailer really held together. No care, was pulled fast over some really bad roads. We were impressed by it, because we really thought analuminum trailer couldn't hold together under those conditions.

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.

Sounds like you wouldn't care for a Merritt either VB. Featherlite may suit your fancy, but they have a cargo latch on the full door also. As does every aluminum stock trailer I have ever seen. Is there a model or brand that suits your taste? I am just asking.

Haytrucker wrote:Sounds like you wouldn't care for a Merritt either VB. Featherlite may suit your fancy, but they have a cargo latch on the full door also. As does every aluminum stock trailer I have ever seen. Is there a model or brand that suits your taste? I am just asking.

Mr. FH says we don't have a cargo latch on the full door. What are you calling a cargo latch? Just curious.

There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.

Haytrucker wrote:Sounds like you wouldn't care for a Merritt either VB. Featherlite may suit your fancy, but they have a cargo latch on the full door also. As does every aluminum stock trailer I have ever seen. Is there a model or brand that suits your taste? I am just asking.

I pull a old Sooner , 01 model , the latch shuts even with the side, making it easier to shut in loading ally's ,the floor is corrugated, with no big bumps, so its real easy to clean , the walls are built with 2 slats on top, so you can run a rope trough there to drag something in the trailer. And I would never buy another one

Mr. FH says we don't have a cargo latch on the full door. What are you calling a cargo latch? Just curious.

That's a cargo latch alright. Featherlite, Wilson, Merritt, and Exiss all have them to my knowledge. If you don't tie the corners together an aluminum trailer will pop open. Slider can rattle like a loose leaf if it's latched, but latch a full door in the middle only, not a good plan.

Not trying to argue at all but think about the rear gate on a pot. Never seen a full swing back gate. I have seen a slider instead of a roll door. That 4 corner strength holds the back end together. Aluminum has the same strength and flex no matter the trailer size.

Haytrucker wrote:Not trying to argue at all but think about the rear gate on a pot. Never seen a full swing back gate. I have seen a slider instead of a roll door. That 4 corner strength holds the back end together. Aluminum has the same strength and flex no matter the trailer size.

I Borrowed a Featherlite because it was longer than my Circle J and I was trying to reduce trips. I put a snap on the tailgate latch that should of held it. It didn't. I was going down the freeway when the trailer surged the pickup. I look out the window to see a cow rolling out on the freeway. I stopped and shut the rest in.

Log story short, Everything was ok and survived. The cows calf was still in the trailer and the cows to the outside calves were as well. So, they didn't run off.

Lebanon Livestock Auction made a few calls and we used a hedge of Blackberry bushes along a creek and a few trailers lined up in the grass seed field to "recapture" the cow and 4 calves. I started chaining the door after that.